Mississippi Soccer Association

To: State Referee Administrators, State Youth Referee
Administrators, State Directors of Referee Instruction,
State Directors of Referee Assessment, National Referee
Instructors and Trainers, National Assessors, National
Referees

From: Alfred Kleinaitis, Manager
of Referee Development and Education

Subject: Misconduct Involving
Language/Gestures

Date: March 14, 2003

Player language, including gestures
and other forms of nonverbal communication, can take
many forms:

passing information along to teammates
or urging special efforts during play – this
is completely acceptable.
Referee action: no action needed.

The referee must intelligently apply
common sense, feel for the spirit of the game, and knowledge
of the way in which player language can affect management
of the match in order to distinguish effectively among
these forms.

Regardless of age or competitive
level, players become excited as their personal or
team fortunes rise or fall, and it is not uncommon
for language to be used in the heat of the moment. Such
outbursts, while possibly vivid, are typically brief,
undirected, and often quickly regretted. The
referee must understand the complex emotions of players
in relation to the match and discount appropriately
language which does no lasting harm to those who might
have heard or seen the outburst. Of course, the
player might well be warned in various ways (a brief
word, direct eye contact, etc.) regarding his behavior.

When the words or gestures directly
challenge the authority of the referee or assistant
referees, actively dispute an official's decision,
or are likely to be taken up by a widening circle of
other players, the referee must determine if this dissent
can be halted through the more formal action of cautioning
the player and displaying the yellow card. The
objective of the caution for dissent or unsporting
behavior (in the case of language which is not dissent
but which falls short of deserving a red card), is
to protect the referee's ability to continue to manage
the match.

Language or gestures can also
be
“offensive, insulting or abusive” with the
result that the player involved is required to leave
the field and is shown a red card. The fundamental
principle in recognizing offensive, insulting, or abusive
language is that the referee must protect the safety
and enjoyment of the participants as well as the fairness
of the play. Accordingly, language that is generally
accepted by players, does not produce adverse or aggressive
reactions, and is generally tolerated by them should
less likely result in a red card being shown.

The referee might well choose
to talk to, warn, admonish, or caution players whose
undesirable language occurs in a short, emotional outburst
and send off a player whose language is a sustained,
calculated, and aggressive verbal assault.

The three critical criteria to
be used in evaluating whether language needs to be
handled as misconduct warranting a red card are:

The specific words and/or gestures
used.
Some words are inherently more offensive than others
and are more likely to provoke aggressive reactions. Words
that focus on religious, ethnic, racial, or sexual
characteristics generally fall in this category and
often require a fast, strong response by the referee.

The audibility or visibility of
the language. Language which might call for a
more limited response if said quietly and/or to a restricted
audience might require a send-off if performed more
publicly.

Specifically targeted language.
Language that is clearly directed at specific persons
(for example, opponents or officials) is more likely
to spark a reprisal and will usually require a stronger
response by the referee.

Referees must take care not to inject
purely personal opinions as to the nature of the language
when determining a course of action. The primary
focus of the referee must be on the effective management
of the match and the players in the context of the overall
feel for the spirit of the game.